Old wine..Bigger Bottle!. Review on Honda Activa 125

That's what I felt when I rode the new Activa 125, for over 3 days averaging around 80 kms a day.

The scooter belonged to a friend and I decided I would like to find out how different was she from her elder sister - the one and only Activa 110.

So for starters, lets start with the looks. Same thing that made Ashiwarya famous and us men drool all over the country. Except the 125 is.well, hmmm, okay it fails to move you. Your heart just goes like - blaah. Sure its a little key word - "LITTLE" - better than the Activa 110. And that's it. The End.

She has sharper lines on her. Like a smart and spiffy professional. The front is nicer except for this idiotic chrome strip. I hate chrome and I still hate it even more on a scooter. That's like walking around in fluorescent spandex because you think it makes you look good. It does not.

The side profile.is just a side profile. You have the HET badge which of course THE best reason why you should shell out your hard earned or as it happens mostly these days - ill gotten cash to buy the 125. For those who do not know about the HET, well from what my lame brain could grasp, the engine has this sensor which is able to sense (for the lack of a better word).

The weight on the scooter and thereby adjust the firing of the spark. It delays the firing and hence, without you wringing the life out of the throttle, is able to produce the required power without wasting your blood. I mean petrol. Well this is what I understood, before my brain cells died.

The rear of the scooter is just slightly inspired. As if the designer was having a hangover and he was also a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So he stumbled across the old Activa drawings and slashed lines into it with a butter knife pretending he was Leo. Tadaaaa. You have the 125!

But the game changed like an India Pakistan match, when I started her up. Sweet Amul butter smooth. That's what the engine felt like. Well it is a Honda after all. They do make the  best engines in the world and with equal passion, the most boring looking scooters as well. Sorry, the Dio looks like the Activa after a session with a paper shredder.

The console is different, slightly. It has a digital console along with the analog set up. Yellow colour. Why? Why the damn yellow? I love the blue on my CBR. So the yellow tells you the fuel, the trip meter which has it reset button. The brochure says attractive and stylish digital meter. Found the digital meter. Still looking for attractive and stylish.

The rest of the buttons are the normal horn, lights, indicators. The speedometer is better lit and readable than the Activa 110. Again, slightly.

My friend bought the metallic blue colour. Frankly I liked the white. Like white wine.

And now its last ball and 5 runs to win. The bowler pitches a short one and the whole world hold its breathe. The batsman swings and the ball is in the air.

The 125 scores a six.in the ride quality. She is waaaaay better than the Activa 110. The telescopic suspension with the larger diameter wheels make that much difference for my 2 damaged discs in my buggered spine. I am not kidding.

I rode in various speeds, across good roads (if you can discover them in Bangalore) and cratered roads (that's what I call them in Bangalore. My back was at peace. My rear was however a little unhappy with the seat. Was not of the right firmness. But the rear suspension did make up for it.

In speeds of 45 kmph she is just right across the roads which have been Bangalored. I wanted to say badly maintained with moon craters that are used by the Indian Navy to teach deep sea rescue!

She is a bigger scooter than the Activa 110. Which means she can be a bit intimidating for some. But its just a matter of confidence.

The power and torque figures are higher than the Activa 110. Again slightly. But that small bump does make a difference and how. I was at one point cruising at 70kmph towards Kengeri. Very little vibrations and stable.

The 125 I was riding had the front disc brake and it really came on its own when that cow decided it time to wake up and stretch. Of course it also means if you grab the brake too hard you can crash. The trick with brakes - disc or no disc.squeeze.do not grab. The disc version is pricier but I would say its worth it. The better braking response means you will not be trying to climb a tree with the 125.

So great ride quality and braking.

And now the inevitable question. How many viagra pills do I take?

Oh sorry wrong turn, how much mileage? Come to think of it we need our mileage figures to bordering the miraculous! We will not check the tyre pressure, we will not service the scooter on time and we do not care what quality petrol we fill. Riding skills? Paah. That's for morons who obey the road signs!

Well the salesman will tell you around 45km per liter. I am guessing that figure is doable provided of course, you service the scooter in time, check the tyre pressure and ride like a moron who obeys the law. Since my friend's scooter was new and completed just the first service. The mileage was around 35 to 38 kms per liter as of now. Should get better after the second service.

So overall a very good and boring scooter. If you are looking to cover over 15kms per day in Bangalored roads of Bangalore and would like to keep your spine from being replaced.this is a good buy. I have a 10 year old Honda Unicorn and she is as reliable as she was from day one. So the 125 comes from the same story line. Reliable, practical and with a better resale value. If you are looking for mileage buy a second hand diesel Bullet. And an insurance policy for your spine.

Oh by the way.the picture that is featured by Mouthshut.com on this page is actually the Suzuki Access. Can someone get it changed to the correct scooter?